Chapter Twelve

 

Edward had retired to bed an hour earlier, and Annabel paced the tiny bedroom reviewing her choices. Although the man had said he would not hurt her and Annabel had said she believed him, the truth was she had only said as much in order to gain his trust. Indeed, he had kidnapped her; however, he had yet to do her any harm beyond a few well-placed hurtful words, and even those had been milder than she would have expected from someone of his ilk.

What had frightened her was his threat of her aunt being harmed. The question was, should she escape? She had seen a number of cottages when they arrived, but now at night she doubted the vision of the guards would be adequate. If her assumption was correct, she could escape to the nearest town where she could seek help.

Yet, what if she was caught? Would he immediately send word to have her aunt killed?

She stopped her pacing and glanced around the room. She did not want to spend another moment here, that much she knew. Escape would be worth the risk, for if he wished to receive money from Aunt Eleanor, he could not have her killed outright. The threat could remain, of course, but his means of seeing the ransom paid would be gone, and he would receive nothing. Yes, it was most certainly worth the risk.

Placing two pillows beneath the blanket, she arranged them just so in order to make it appear as if she were sleeping, something Juliet had taught her. The window made a loud groan as she pushed it up, and she stopped to listen for any sign that the man in the other room had heard. She was uncertain how long she listened, but detecting no sound, she pushed the window until it was wide enough to crawl through.

She lifted her leg over the sill and stopped, her heart racing. “Do not be frightened,” she whispered to herself. “Imagine that Juliet is with you and you are sneaking out of Scarlett Hall.”

Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself out the window and squatted low to the ground. The moon gave the nearby fields an eerie glow, and she squinted as she looked toward one of the neighboring cottages. No lights glowed in the windows.

“They cannot see me,” she assured herself. Keeping low, she moved across the drive, hoping her steps were not as loud as they sounded to her ear. Then she stopped. She had forgotten to close the window! If he were to wake and find it open, would he notice sooner that she was missing?

“It is too late now,” she said and continued her movements.

At the end of the drive, she stopped and glanced around. She was uncertain where the closest village was located, and if what Edward had said, the cottages that surrounded them were filled with guards. If she headed left, returning in the direction from which they had come, she did not recall any villages for a least two hours. And that was by carriage. Therefore, she decided to go right.

She had not gone far when a gruff voice came to her ear.

“What are you doing out here alone?”

Annabel thought her heart would jump from her throat when a man as tall as Edward and nearly as wide appeared from behind a bush. He was in simple shirtsleeves and his breeches were covered in a variety of patches.

“I…I was just…” Fear held her tongue hostage, and she wondered if she would faint.

“You know it’s dangerous for a lady to be out and about alone, don’t ya?” The man’s breath reeked of spirits, making her stomach roil all the more.

She nodded, and although she wanted to leave, any strength she had managed to muster was now gone. “I…I am sorry.”

The man nodded and then sighed. “It’s the way of you young girls these days wanting to escape into the night. You want to see what lies beyond. I can assure you that night is not your friend, no sir, and it’s definitely not a time you should be out, is it?”

“N-no, sir,” she stammered, her breathing choked by a fear so great she worried it would send her tumbling to the ground right there. Then a thought came to her. She could attempt to appease the man in some way. “If I were to give you a small kiss on the cheek, will you say nothing about me being out?”

“A kiss?” the man said as he rubbed his chin. “I won’t say no to a kiss.”

She raised herself onto her toes and touched his cheek with her lips. The stubble on his chin tickled.

He gave her a wide grin. “I won’t say a word, miss.”

“Thank you, sir.” She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “Do you promise?”

“I do,” he said, placing his hand over his heart. “It’s not every day a man gets a kiss like that.”

Thankful for her ability at quick thinking, Annabel turned and hurried back to the cottage. With every step, she scolded herself for making an attempt at escape. It was foolish on her part, for she had no idea where she was. And she feared she would be required to give away more kisses if she tried such a thing again.

Crawling back through the open window—she was glad she had left it open after all—she pulled it closed once more. This time, the noise it made sent her scurrying to the bed and pushing one of the pillows aside as she pulled one under her head. She did not even bother covering herself with the blanket. No sooner had she laid her head on the pillow than the door swung open and Edward stormed into the room.

“What was that noise?” he demanded, his voice slurred to the point she could barely make out the words.

“I wanted fresh air,” she said. “However, when I opened the window, I thought perhaps you would be angry at me, so I closed it.

Edward sighed. “I do not care if you wish it to be open, but next time…” He squinted. “Why are you wearing your boots?”

Annabel looked down and cringed. “I…”

“You were attempting an escape!”

Panic rose inside her. “No!” She sat up and tried to match his glare. “I…” What lie could she possibly tell that he would accept? For some reason, the image of Robert Mullens, the cobbler, came to mind. “I was afraid he will escape from prison and find me.”

“Who?”

“One of the men who forced a kiss on me,” she said. “He was sent to prison, but I fear he will one day come after me. Therefore, I sleep in my boots in case I must kick him.” She batted her eyelashes, another trick she had learned from Juliet, and relief washed over her when the anger in his eyes dissipated.

“I can assure you that he will not find you here,” the man said. “As for now, you are in my care and no harm will come to you.”

He turned and left the room, and Annabel heaved a sigh. Yet, his words confused her. No harm will come to her? Yet he was the one who had taken her away. What type of man he truly was remained uncertain, but one surety was that the guards outside would make any escape possible.

At least any time soon.